


Finding the Truth

by JeffersonAuthor



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Mystery, Revenge, happiness, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-15 03:04:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7203905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeffersonAuthor/pseuds/JeffersonAuthor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Samantha Parker's world was changed 12 years ago when her parents were brutally murdered. Left alone in the foster system, she eventually landed in Mystic Falls, home to the Salvatore brothers and friends. There, she begins to discover things about her past, and present, that only the brothers can help her with. When she discovers the truth, will it do her more harm than good? Or will she be able to find her parents murderers and save her family?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

September 18, 2004

“Goodnight, Sassy-cat,” the six year old's parents sing-songed together.  
“Goodnight, Mommy. Goodnight, Daddy.” She beamed at them from her twin-sized bed, laughing as they made faces while the door shut. The light slowly crept out of the room, and the happy six year old drifted asleep.  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Red and blue lights flashed around the room, waking Samantha. She knew from car rides with her parents what that meant. Something bad had happened. She slid out of the covers and landed softly on the floor. Rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes, she cracked open her bedroom door, listening closely.  
“No, no, listen to me- my parents- they were good people, everyone loved them, I don’t-” the voice stopped, bursting into tears. Samantha slid into the hallway, quietly closing the door. It was a trick she had learned from Charlie when he was in trouble and wanted to hear what his grounding sentence would be. “I don’t know who would want to do this to them- they’re good-” More tears started flowing, and Samantha edged forward, leaning over the first few steps to try and see what was happening. She leaned just a bit too far, and slid down the stairs, landing with a solid thunk at the bottom. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked around and saw all the strangers standing around. Her older brother, Charlie, hurried over and scooped her off the floor, placing a gentle but wavering kiss on her temple. “It’ll be okay, Sammy. We’ll be alright.” He took a breath, trying to calm his nerves. “I promise.”


	2. Mystic Falls, Samantha Parker. Samantha Parker, Mystic Falls

“Samantha Marie Isobel Parker, if you don’t help your mother with your boxes, I will drive you to school in the squad car everyday for a month!” Mark Parker yelled up the stairs to his sixteen year old daughter, Sam. Sam rolled her eyes, slid off her bed, and jogged down the stairs.  
“Mom, could you please tell Dad to stop being a drama queen?” She took the box from her mother’s arms and sent a sarcastic smile in her father’s direction. “I don’t even know why I have to go to public school. You guys were fine with homeschooling me back home, I don’t get why it had to change just because we’re in some new stupid town.”  
“Samantha, don’t snap at your father.” Her mother, Serenity, warned. “It’s not his fault he was transferred. Besides, we homeschooled you because the schools back home weren’t suitable for your level of education you needed. The high school here is. It’ll be good for you, Alex too.” Samantha sighed, and nodded. “I know it’s hard, and I know you didn’t want to do this, but it’s gonna be alright. Now, go start unpacking. You have school tomorrow and I know you haven’t even started..” Sam nodded.  
“Yes ma’am.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Samantha hung the last of her clothing items, straightened her shoes on the rack one last time and smiled in relief. She was finally done. Sighing happily, she shuffled over to her bookcase to grab a well loved copy of The Great Gatsby. Just as she went to open to chapter one, pages from the middle and end of the book fluttered to the floor.  
“Well, there goes that copy.” She rolled off her bed, landing on the balls of her feet. Scooping up the pages, she called downstairs, “Hey mom? Can I go to the bookstore; my book broke apart again.” No answer. Sam jogged downstairs, looking for her parents. “Mom, Dad. Did you hear me?” Her parents looked up from their spots in the living room. “Can I go to Barnes and Noble or something?” She held up her tattered copy. “My book broke- again.” Her mother sighed.  
“Samantha it’s nearly nine o’clock and we don’t know our way around this town very well. If you have to go, can you go to the local book store downtown? I don’t want you driving thirty minutes away when I won’t know where you are.” Samantha groaned, looking towards her father for help. She hated used bookstores, they never had the edition she loved, the one with the letter from Fitzgerald himself.  
“No ma’am, don’t give me that look. I agree with your mother.” Her father looked over his glasses, stern look on his face. “Take the car, but try and be back by nine thirty. Understand?”  
“Yes sir. Thank you.” She grabbed the keys from the dish by the front door and headed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Hi, welcome to Mystic Books. Anything I can help you with?” A kind elderly woman smiled from behind the counter of the musty old bookstore.  
“Yeah, I’m actually looking for a specific edition of The Great Gatsby. The one with the note from Fitzgerald. Do you know if you have it?” Samantha asked, hoping they would. The woman looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to her computer.  
“I believe we do. Straight back and to the left, in historic fiction. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?” She nodded, heading to the back with excitement. While she was browsing the shelves, she heard the woman greet the next customer with the same generic greeting.  
As she browsed, she noticed a wide variety of older novels like Pride and Prejudice and Crime and Punishment caught her eye.  
“Enjoy the classics?” She gasped and the sudden voice. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.” She laughed lightly, turning towards the foreign voice. In front of her stood a man with deep forest green eyes and flawlessly tousled brown hair. “Gatsby is one of my favorites.” Sam smiled, hugging the novel to her chest.  
“It is my favorite. I love Fitzgerald. The Beautiful and Damned is,” She laughed at the lack of words she suddenly had in her vocabulary. “Well, beautiful.”  
“It certainly can be.” The stranger held out his hand. “Stefan Salvatore.” Samantha shifted her novels to one arm and shook his extended hand.  
“Sam Parker. Nice to meet you, Stefan.” Their hands lingered for a moment, then dropped to their sides. “And to answer your first question, yes. I do enjoy the classics. This is actually my eighth copy of the Great Gatsby I’ve picked up. My others have fallen apart.” She laughed nervously. This stuff didn’t happen to her; this was the stuff of movies. Girl meets boy in bookstore, they fall in love.  
Of course, she was getting ahead of herself. Stefan was a stranger, for all intents and purposes. But the butterflies in her stomach made her heart race.  
“I’ve had to replace my copy for the same reason. I keep them in bags after they break, so I can keep all my notes with their respective copies.” He smiled, and rubbed his neck nervously. “And that is a really lame thing to say.”  
“No, wait!” She laughed. “I do the exact same thing. But I color code. I use different colors to tell me which pages go with which copies in case they get mixed up.” She laughed again. “Now I sound lame.” She glanced at the clock over Stefan’s head and her eyes widened. “Oh no. I’m so sorry, but I have to go. I told my dad I’d be home by nine thirty, it’s nine twenty five.” She turned around quickly, racing toward the front. She threw a twenty on the counter and raced out the door, shouting behind her, “Bye Stefan, it was nice to meet you!”

~~~~~~~~~  
Samantha lay in bed that night and smiled at the ceiling. Stefan Salvatore. She had no idea who he was, but that didn't stop him from consuming her every waking thought.  
The next morning she put her battered copy in a bag.


	3. New Beginnings

Chapter Two: New Beginings

Monday morning soon rolled around, and Samantha sat in her history classroom before the bell rang. She had been given a tour of the high school with her parents and brother before she shooed them all away and made her way to first period. Her history teacher, Mr. Tanner, seemed like a real douche, but she mostly ignored it. She’d had worse.  
It was only the two of them in the class, with the majority of the students still mingling in the hall. She glanced at the clock, noticing there was about twenty minutes to the start of class. She reached in her bag, pulling out her copy of Crime and Punishment. As she read along the familiar storyline, she uncapped her pink highlighter and drew a line across her favorite quote: “We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.” The quote had always stood out to her. However, it had an entirely new meaning now. Now, she had met that stranger- that perfect stranger and she-  
“Ah, Mr. Salvatore. I’m assuming you’re the other new transfer.” Samantha’s head whipped up, grin spreading over her face. “Ms. Parker, what is it?” Stefan turned around to acknowledge the other person in the room and he also smiled.  
“I met Stefan last night, at the bookstore. We were discussing our mutual love of Fitzgerald before I rudely ran away from him due to my moronic curfew.” She closed her book, giggling. “I didn’t know you went to school here.”  
“Right. Well, Mr. Salvatore, you can sit next to Ms. Parker.” Tanner rolled his eyes and went back to looking at his computer screen.  
“I just started today,” He sat down next to her and lifted her novel off her desk. “Crime and Punishment? Some light reading before History class?” She laughed.  
“I like the challenge. Besides, it has some of my favorite quotes in it. I love Dostoevsky.” He flipped through the pages, stopping every once in awhile to read an annotation or glance at a paragraph.  
“I like the way you make notes.” He placed the novel back on her desk as the bell rang. “I’d love to see your Fitzgerald copies.” She nodded.  
“Yeah, I-” She stopped when she realized his attention was no longer on her, but on a beautiful brunette that had walked in the door.  
She didn’t have to think about it too long; as soon as the students had filed in their seats, Mr. Tanner began his lesson.  
“Alright class, so. We have some new students. Samantha and Stefan. Since they’re new to Mystic Falls, I figured we could start with some history. So, the Civil War. Once our home state of virginia joined confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state. People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep south. Then Virginia divided in 1863 with the northwest region joining the union.” He rambled on for the class period about the war, and Samantha took notes, trying to ignore the staring between the brunette and Stefan. When the bell rang, she darted out the door before anyone could catch her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The rest of her day was relatively uneventful. No one really talked to her, but she assumed that was because she kept her nose in her book between classes. She didn’t think it was a problem until it came time for lunch.  
As she looked around the courtyard, she saw Alex had made friends. They were sitting around a table, laughing and talking. She sighed, knowing he most likely wouldn’t be happy if she barged over and sat with them. She looked around, hoping to find a secluded enough spot that could just read in.  
“Hi!” A cheery voice said behind her. “I’m Caroline. You must be the new girl.” She looked over at the girl curiously. “If you want, you can come sit with us. We have space, and it looks like you don’t have anyone else.” Sam nodded.  
“Yeah, uh, okay,” She smiled sheepishly. “I’m Samantha.”  
They walked to the concrete table as Caroline chatted. “Well, there’s Elena and Bonnie. And then Matt and Tyler. But Elena and Matt just recently broke up, so that’s kind of awkward.” They reached the table and Caroline gestured for Samantha to sit down. “Guys, this is Samantha. She’s new here.” The brunette that had taken Stefan’s attention was seated at the table next to the girl she had seen her walk into class with.  
“Oh yeah, you’re in first period History with Tanner, right?” Sam nodded. “Yeah, I remember you, you had that giant book and you sat by the hot new guy.” She laughed.  
“It was Crime and Punishment, and his name is Stefan.” She admitted. “I met him a few nights ago, in the local bookstore. He was really… sweet.” She smiled to herself.  
“I think someone has a crush.” Caroline winked at her and she blushed. “Oh, speak of the devil.” Caroline pointed over Sam’s shoulder at Stefan who was walking right towards them. “I think he’s looking for you.” She grinned and Sam gasped.  
“Shit, shit, shit, what if he heard me?” The girls at the table laughed at her panicking, and she giggled, trying to calm down.  
“Sam, hey.” She squeaked as Stefan spoke from behind her. “Looks like I can’t stop startling you,” He laughed, smiling as she tucked a piece of hair from behind her ear. “Can I talk to you for a second?” She nodded, standing. He led her towards the far corner of the courtyard where people were scarce. He stopped and turned her towards him, taking a breath. “So, I was a jerk earlier.” She frowned, not knowing what he meant. Then she realized he was referring to first period. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to start ignoring you. That girl walked in, and- she looks a lot like someone I used to know, and it freaked me out a little bit. But I meant what I said, about getting together and comparing notes. I like talking to you.” She smiled and nodded enthusiastically.  
“I’d love that. Uh, do you have a pen? Or your phone. Your phone would probably be easier.” She felt her pockets for her own cellphone, then realized it was back at the table. “Shit, I don’t have my phone.” She heard a laugh and looked up, realizing she was rambling. She smiled nervously. “I’m sorry. I ramble when I’m nervous and you… You make me nervous.”  
“I make you nervous?” He asked, smiling coyly. “Here’s my phone. Put your number in it, and I’ll call you right now. After school, we can figure out what we want to do.” She nodded, taking the phone from his hand. She typed her number into his phone, laughing lightly to herself.  
“There. Now you have my number.” She glanced back at the lunch table and saw the girls attempting to sneakily watch them. “I should get back to them. Uh, call me? Or text me, or something.” She made her way back to the table, glancing back a few times. Every time, Stefan smiled and waved.  
“So?” Elena asked as Sam sat back down. “Did he asked you out?” Sam shook her head, but smiled when her phone buzzed in her backpack.  
“No, he just wanted to get together to talk about books one day. We have the same taste in literature, so he wants to compare notes. I gave him my number, that’s all.” She looked around and noticed all the girls staring at her with the same dumbfound look. “What?”  
“He totally asked you out.” Bonnie said, breaking into a huge smile. “Sam, you’ve got to do something other than talk about books! He’s hot!” Sam blushed, shaking her head. “Listen, there’s a back to school thing at the Falls tonight. You need to come, and bring Stefan. You guys can talk about books later.” Elena nodded in agreement, but there was an odd look on Caroline’s face.  
“I agree. You need to snatch him up while you still can.” Sam smiled nervously.  
“Okay. I’ll see what he wants to do tonight.” Elena and Bonnie cheered, snatching her phone away so they could quickly add themselves to her contacts. Caroline did the same, with much less enthusiasm, but still smiling.  
“We want to hear all the gory details.” Bonnie winked at her as the bell rang. “That’s our cue. Time to go back to class. Sam, let me know what happens.”  
“Got it.” Sam gathered her things as she opened the message from Stefan. “Vanity working on a weak head produces every sort of mischief,” She read aloud. “Jane Austen, very nice.” She saved the number, then headed to her next class, smiling the entire way. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Mom?” Sam called as she walked in the front door. “Mom, guess what happened today!” Her mom poked her head around the doorframe to see her daughter. “Remember the cute boy, the one from the bookstore?” She sat down at the counter, reaching for a plate of cookies her mother had sitting on the counter. “Ooh, cookies.”  
“Yes, I remember the boy. What about him?” She turned around and laughed lightly at her daughter. “Use a plate, Samantha Marie.” She slid the saucer towards her daughter, then leaned back against the counter.  
“Anyways, so it turns out he goes to school with me. He’s in my first period and he asked for my number to talk about books sometime.” She smiled around a mouthful of cookie, making her mother laugh again. “There’s this back to school party thing tonight, so I was thinking I’d see if he wanted to go to? Or is that too much?”  
“Text him and find out.” Her mom smiled at her. “Don’t over think this, baby. You do that so often.” She reached over the counter, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. “What’s his name again?”  
“Stefan, Stefan Salvatore.” Her mother’s breath hitched and Sam looked up nervously. “What, what’s wrong?”  
“Nothing. I’m fine. I’m sure Stefan is great, will he be stopping by?” Sam shrugged, pulling out her phone.  
“I’m not sure.” She slid off the bar stool and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thanks for the cookie, mom. I’m going upstairs.” Her mother smiled at her as Sam gathered her things and headed upstairs.  
Sam flopped down on her bed, hovering over Stefan’s contact information. She sighed, rolling over onto her stomach and dialed the number. “Stefan, hey.” She said as the call picked up. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in going to the back to school party thing tonight? Like, with me?” She bit her lip while she waited for his answer, smiling nervously though he couldn’t see her.  
“I think I could work that into my schedule.” She could hear the smile in his voice, making her grin widen.  
“Awesome. Why don’t you just come to my place now and we can head there together? Then you can pick over my small personal library and judge my wide variety of genres.” As the sentence left her mouth she realized her room was a complete mess since she never actually got around to unpacking.  
“Sure, that sounds great. Just text me your address.” Her phone buzzed just then, signaling a text.  
“Okay. Bye, Stefan.”  
“Bye, Sam.” She hung up, smile wider than ever. After sending her address, she scanned the text from Bonnie, laughing at her antics. 

Bonnie Bennett: have u texted him yet?! Now or never, S ;)

You: He’s coming tonight! I just got off the phone w him. He’s about to be at my place so we can talk books.

Bonnie Bennett: Lame. Meet me, Lena and Care @ the Grill. We wanna meet the new guy too!!!!!

You: Maybe! I’ll see what he wants to do, lol. GTG, doorbell just rang. Probs Stef. Bye, Bonnie :)

“I’ve got it!” Sam sent the text and rushed downstairs, skidding to a stop in front of the door. She opened the door calmly, not letting on to the way she had frantically reached it. “Hi, Stefan! Come in.” She smiled at him, opening the door wider.  
“Ooh, Sammy has a boy over.” Her fifteen year old brother mocked over the railing of the upstairs awning. Samantha rolled her eyes as her mother rounded the corner to see who came inside.  
“Alexander Parker, don’t tease your sister.” Her mother stood 5’2” and weighed about 115 pounds, but she was the most terrifying woman in the world when she wanted to be. Alex nodded mutely and went back to his room. Serenity Parker turned towards her daughter and their guest, eyes bright and kind. “Hi sweetheart, I’m Samantha’s mother, Serenity.” Samantha loved listening to her mother talk. Her voice was calming and peaceful, like the stereotypical Southern Belle voice was. “Y’all do whatever, there’s snacks in the kitchen if you need anything. Sam, your father will be home around seven, okay, so dinner’s at seven thirty.” Her daughter nodded, tugging Stefan towards the staircase.  
“I’m going to that back to school thing, Mom, I won’t be home for dinner. But I’ll call when I get there, okay?” Her mother nodded, whistling back into the kitchen.  
“It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Parker.” Stefan called while Samantha pulled him along.  
“You too, sweetie. Door stays open, Samantha Marie!” Sam’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and her eyes widened, avoiding looking at Stefan.  
“Mother!” Stefan laughed and she heard the faint echo of her mother’s laugh behind him. She collapsed face down on her bed and groaned. “She is so embarrassing.” Stefan laughed, sitting on the edge of her bed. Sam sat up, brushing and hand through her dark hair. “I’m sorry about her, she’s so…” Sam trailed off, her mind falling short of the word she needed.  
“Mom like?” Stefan offered with a kind smile. She nodded, smiling back. “Your mom seems great.”  
“She is. She’s always been there for me, from the beginning.” Stefan gave her an odd look, and she winced to herself. Not very many people knew she was adopted, it was just something she liked to keep under wraps. The questions she got when people knew made her self conscious. “What about you? What’s your mom like?” Stefan opened his mouth to answer, then thought twice about it.  
“My parents passed away, about six years ago. I live with my uncle, Zach.” Sam winced again, closing her eyes.  
“I’m sorry.” She pursed her lips and took a breath. “My birth parents disappeared when I was five. I’m adopted. I know it’s not the same, you can remember your parents. But I still understand where you’re coming from.” Stefan smiled slightly, nodding. “Any siblings?”  
“None that I speak to.” Sam nodded again.  
“Besides Alex, I have another brother. Charlie.” She sighed. “I haven’t spoken to him in years.” She laughed lightly, barely glancing at Stefan. “You know what? Let’s get out of here. I’m pretty sure Bonnie and some people are at the Grill, do you wanna ditch this joint and go play some pool or something?”  
“Sure.” Stefan stood, extending his hand to her. Samantha took it and allowed him to lead her out of the house, throwing a quick goodbye over her shoulder.


	4. Irregularities

Chapter Three: Irregularities

  
  


“So, you were born in Mystic Falls?” Caroline asked, sipping on her drink. Stefan, Samantha, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were all crammed into the booth, the three girls on one side, Sam and Stefan on the other. She supposed it made for easier questioning.

“Mm-Hmm. And moved when I was still young.” Stefan answered. “What about you, Sam? How’d you guys end up here?” 

“My dad was transferred stations. I guess you guys needed more officers.” She shrugged, not knowing the particulars of why he was transferred to small town Virginia.

“Officers? My mom’s the Sheriff!” Caroline laughed. “You must be Mark Parker’s daughter. Yeah, my mom mentioned your dad.” Sam smiled.

“Yeah, that’s my dad. He’s pretty great.” Stefan elbowed her side playfully.

“Her mom’s pretty cool too, I met her earlier.” Sam blushed from her previous embarrassment.

“What about your parents, Stefan?” She felt Stefan stiffen slightly beside her, and she placed her and on his comfortingly.

“My parents passed away, I live with my uncle in the old Salvatore family boarding house.” Elena frowned, pity in her eyes.

“I'm sorry. Any siblings?”

“None that I talk to. I live with my uncle.” Caroline got a mischievous look on her face and smiled sweetly.

“So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tonight. It's a back to school thing at the falls.” Stefan glanced at Sam, mouth turning up at the corners slightly.

“Actually I do, Sam and I are going together.” She smiled, glancing down at their hands sitting side by side. Stefan’s hand shifted towards hers, grazing it lightly. Bonnie, Caroline and Elena smiled in synchronization, noticing the moment between the two.   
“Well, we’ll just leave you two alone then.” Elena winked at Sam, then ushered the other two out of the booth, leaving Sam and Stefan alone. Stefan turned towards her, slipping his hand into hers.

“You look so cool,” She muttered. “You always look so cool.” 

“Gatsby.” He smiled at her, and just like every time before, her heart fluttered in delight.

 

**-0-**

 

“Hey! You made it!” Caroline sauntered up to Stefan and Sam as they walked into the area where the majority of the party goers were. Stefan waved in greeting, wrapping his arm around Samantha’s waist. 

“We did.” Caroline frowned slightly at the ‘we’ portion of the sentence, but shook it off. She was determined.

“Well, let's get you a drink.” She grabbed his available hand and tugged him away from Samantha, smiling over her shoulder.

“Well, I'm--” Sam waved him on, laughing light heartedly.

“Oh, go on. I’ll be okay.” Caroline rolled her eyes, making sure Stefan and Samantha didn’t notice. She was persistent, but Caroline wanted her chance.

 

**-0-**

 

“So where is he?” Bonnie asked as she found Sam standing alone.

“Caroline pulled him away to get a drink.” Sam smiled. “She’s…. Interesting.” Bonnie laughed, waving Elena over.

“Hey, where’s Caroline?” Elena gave her a puzzled look, shrugging her shoulders. “She kidnapped Stefan.” Elena nodded in understanding.

“Sorry, but I don’t know. You’re the psychic one, you tell me.” Sam gave the two a weird look, but they gave no indication anything was out of the ordinary, so she kept quiet.

“Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate.” Bonnie took a deep breath, then closed her eyes.

“Wait, you need a crystal ball.” Bonnie nodded, taking the bottle Elena handed her. Sam’s confusion worsened, and she spoke up.

“Uh, what?” The two girls looked back over, obviously having forgotten she was there. 

“My grandmother insists I’m a witch,” Bonnie explained, laughing. “It’s a total joke, sorry.” She touched Sam’s wrist, then gasped.

“What?”

“That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow.” Samantha frowned, not understanding. “A crow, and a little girl on a staircase. There was fog, a family.” Bonnie shook her head in an attempt to clear it. “I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah?” Samantha and Elena nodded, both obviously spooked. “Ok, I'm gonna get a refill.” Bonnie walked off, a confused and slightly frightened look on her face. Elena turned to Samantha, placing her hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, you okay?” Sam nodded. “I know that was weird, you barely know us.”

“That’s not what freaked me out.” Sam looked in the direction Bonnie had left, shuddering slightly. “I was adopted when I was six. My parents disappeared, the police expected foul play. I was standing on my staircase while the detectives questioned my brother, and- they still don’t know what happened.” She looked back at Elena, understanding registering on her face. “I think I’m the little girl on the staircase.” Elena’s eyes widened, shock setting in.

“No, I’m sure it’s just a strange coincidence. Psychics aren’t real.” She took Sam’s hand, leading her towards the drinks. “Come on, let’s get you a drink. This is a party, enough witch talk.” Samantha smiled gratefully, allowing herself to be led away, but she shouldn’t shake the feeling something was off in this town.

 

**-0-**

 

“Hi.” Sam jumped as the voice behind her appeared without warning. “I did it again, didn't I?” Samantha laughed as she turned to see Stefan standing behind her.

“Yeah. Third time's a charm.” Stefan laughed, taking her hand and walking alongside her.

“I'm sorry.” She shrugged, swirling her drink in her cup. They were quiet for a while, silence comfortable but noticeable between them. “You're upset about something.” Sam looked up at him, stopping their walk.

“Oh, uh, no, it's Bonnie. She's…” She remembered what happened and thought better of telling this boy she barely knew her entire screwed up past. “You know what? Never mind. You're back.” He smiled.

“I'm back.”

“You know, you're kind of the talk of the girls.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Am I?”

“Mm-hmm.” She hummed. “Mysterious hot new guy, oh, yeah.” 

“Well, you have the mysterious thing going, too.” Now Samantha looked up curiously. “Twinged in sadness.” 

“What makes you think that I'm sad?” Stefan smiled.

“Your two favorite novels are The Beautiful and the Damned and The Great Gatsby.” Samantha smiled sadly, accepting that he was right, and the nights events hadn’t helped. Samantha was sad. How could she not be? Everything she has been born into had been taken from her, and she had no explanations. No connections to it other than a five year olds memory and the knowledge that the people she loved more than anything weren’t even really hers. 

“You know, this is not exactly party chit-chat.” Stefan chuckled, dropping the subject.

“Well, I've never really been very good at, uh, chit-chat.” Samantha giggled, nodding.

“Me either.” The silence resumed between them, this time a much more comfortable silence as they walked hand in hand.. That was, until Samantha found herself saying, “Twelve years ago, my parents disappeared, that you know. But I don’t know why. I don’t know if they were taken or they left. They might have left me, and that kind of messes with my head sometimes. So that’s my story.” They stopped their walk again, this time on a bridge over a small pond. The moonlight reflected on the water, creating waves of light every time the water rippled. 

Stefan turned to look at Sam, pausing to take in her face before saying, “You won't be sad forever, Sam.” She nodded, squeezing his hand gratefully.

“Hey guys,” Elena jogged up to them, looking around the area. “Have you seen Jeremy? I can’t find him anywhere.” Sam shook her head, also looking around for Elena’s brother.

“No, but have you seen Bonnie? I wanna talk to her about what happened earlier,” Elena turned to Sam, worry etched across her face. “It’s okay, I just wanted to explain why I was freaked out. I don’t want her to think I was being rude or judgy.” Elena smiled, laying her hand over Samantha’s.

“I like Bonnie, she seems like a good friend.” Elena nodded in Stefan’s direction.

“Best friend in the world.” Sam glanced across the pond to where Matt Donovan stood, watching their conversation.

“And Matt, he can't seem to take his eyes off of you.” Elena grimaced, nodding.

“Matt's that friend since childhood that you start dating because you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more.” She sighed, taking another sip of her drink. “And then my parents died, and everything changed.” Sam nodded, understanding the feeling. “Anyway, Matt and I, together we just, I don't know, It wasn't, um... It wasn't…”

“Real?”

“No. No, it wasn't real…” Samantha turned to Stefan who had tensed beside her.

“Hey, are you okay?” She muttered, scanning his face. She gasped inaudibly as she noticed dark purple discoloration and protruding veins beneath his eyes. “Stef, your eyes-” He turned around quickly, starting to walk away.

“Oh, um... Yeah, no. It's, uh, it's nothing.” She went to respond, but he continued walking back towards the party. “Um, are you thirsty? I'm gonna get us a drink, I’ll be right back.” Sam turned to Elena, shocked look on her face.

“That was weird, right? Like, I’m not imagining that being weird.” Elena nodded, confused look on her face.

“Yeah, definitely weird.” Sam sighed.

“Are you okay here? I should probably go check on him.” Elena nodded, waving her on.

“Yeah, yeah,” She smiled, nodding encouragingly. “Go find your man.” Samantha smiled gratefully, walking away after a quick goodbye. As she walked away, Matt approached Elena from behind.

“When you broke up with me, you said it was because you needed some time alone.” Elena turned, facing Matt.

“Matt, you don't understand. It's-” She paused, not sure where she was going. She had no explanation for him, and he deserved one.

“That's okay, Elena. You do what you have to do. I just want to let you know that... I still believe in us. And I'm not giving up on that.” He walked away from her, leaving her in a worse position than she was in when she just thought he hated her. 

 

**-0-**

 

When Samantha found Stefan again, Caroline was cornering him in conversation. He cut her off mid-sentence, and walked away, looking relieved when he saw Samantha. He walked over to her, handing her a solo cup.

“I was wondering who abducted you, but now I know.” Stefan chuckled, nodding. “Do you think she’s always like that?”

“Nah,” He sounded relaxed, so Samantha didn’t think much of it. “We’re fresh meat, she’ll back off eventually.” He smiled at her reassuringly. 

A commotion behind them caught their attention, and they watched as Elena and her brother Jeremy stumbled out of the woods with a girl in his arms. They both rushed forward and the crowd moved towards the three frightened people. “Someone help!”

Matt rushed forwards, Tyler Lockward right on his heels. “ Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?!”

“What happened to her?”

“Somebody, call an ambulance!” Tyler stood and turned, noticing the crowd closing in. “Everybody back up, give her some space!”

“It's her neck. Something bit her.” Stefan looked up with the new information thoughts in his head spinning. If he was right, this was not good. “She's losing a lot of blood.” A random party goer handed Elena a folded up scarf and Elena used it to try and stop the bleeding.

“Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me.” Beside him, Samantha shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Stefan looked down on her, fear and confusion clear on her face. 

“Hey, come on.” She looked up at his voice. “Let’s get you home. It’s getting cold, and it’s not safe out here. Elena and Matt have that covered.” She nodded, accepting his extended hand.

“Yeah, okay.”

 

**-0-**

 

Stefan dropped Sam off at her house, dreading going home himself. He knew Zach would have questions, just like he had earlier in the day when the first attacks came to light, and yet again, Stefan had no answers for him. “Zach?” Stefan called as he walked in.

“What's going on?” Stefan’s nephew-posing-as-his-uncle rounded the corner when the door closed.

“Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach,” Stefan sighed, running a hand over his face. “And it wasn’t me, so I’m not sure what’s going on.” Zach nodded grimly, knowing his uncle was telling the truth. “I’m- I’m going to bed.” Stefan sulked up the stairs to his room. As he opened the door, he stopped in his tracks. “Damon.” 

“Hello, brother.” Stefan closed the door behind him, rolling his eyes.

“Crow's a bit much, don’t you think?” His brother shrugged, propping again the window pane.

“Wait till you see what I can do with the fog.” Stefan raised his eyebrows, unimpressed.

“When'd you get here?”

“Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school.” Damon replied sarcastically. “Your hair's different. I like it.”

“It's been 15 years, Damon.” He prompted, still unaware of why his brother had actually shown back up. 

“Thank god. I could  _ not _ take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not work you.” Stefan growled under his breath, annoyance increasing. “Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads.”

“Why are you here,Damon?” He demanded, crossing the room.

“I miss my little brother.”

“You hate small towns, you think they’re boring. There's nothing for you to do.” His brother shrugged, evidently unaffected.

“I've managed to keep myself busy.” Stefan’s heart dropped in realization.

“You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you.” His brother only shrugged, confirming his realization.

“Oh. That can be a problem- for you.” Stefan rushed forward, forcing Damon against the wall by his throat. 

“Why are you here now?” He demanded, fury racing through his veins.

“I could you ask the same question.” He quipped, flipping his brother against the wall and enticing a groan. “ _ However _ , I'm fairly sure your answer can be summed up all into two little names,” He grinned devilishly. “Samantha and Elena.” He hummed in delight, much to Stefan’s confusion. “They took my breath away. They’re dead ringers for the girls.” Girls? Stefan knew Elena looked like Katherine, the resemblance was undeniable. But he had no idea how Samantha fit into this. “Is it working, Stefan? Being around them, being in their world? Does it make you feel alive?” Stefan tried to push his brother off, only to be forced back to the wall even harder than before. 

“What are you talking about? Elena isn’t Katherine, and Samantha has nothing to do with this. Leave her alone.” Damon’s grip loosened, his own confusion evident.

“What the hell are you saying?” He let go of Stefan, pacing halfway across the room. “Samantha Parker is Clara Grey’s exact lookalike.” His brother’s face remained confused, shocking him. “Well, let's hope they’re not the same. We both know how that ended.” Stefan shook his head.

“Damon, I don’t know who you think Sam is, but I mean it, stay away from her. I want her to stay out of all of this, it’s not something she needs to be involved in.” Damon scoffed.

“Like you could stop me. Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?” Stefan rolled his eyes.

“I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work.” Damon laughed, sauntering towards his brother. “Stop it.”

“Let's do it. Together. I saw a pair girls out there. Or just, let's just cut to the chase, let's just go straight for Sam!” He sneered the same like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Stop it.” His rage slowly filled his veins with every taunt.

“Imagine what her blood tastes like.” Stefan felt the change happen, gums aching as the fangs tore through. “I can-”

“I said  _ stop! _ ” He rushed at Damon, pushing him through the window and to the ground, shattered glass raining down around them.

“Impressive. I give it a six. Missing style, but because of the  _ purpose _ I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole rahhhh thing with your face. It was good.” Stefan stared in disbelief.

“What, it's all fun and games to you, huh?” Damon shrugged, nodding. “Wherever you go, people die.” Damon gave Stefan an exasperated look.

“That's a given, Stefan.”

“Not here. I won’t allow it.” Damon smirked, finding the loophole in his words.

“I take that as an invitation.”

“Damon, please. After all these years, can not we just give it a rest?” Damon tsk’d at Stefan, standing up and dusting off the glass. 

“I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word.” Stefan stood, wincing at the glass imbedded in this skin.

“Just stay away from Samantha, and stay away from Elena.” He threatened. “Leave them out of this.” Damon waved off the threat, gesturing to Stefan’s hand.

“Where's your ring? Sun's coming up in a pair of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes.” Stefan searched the ground frantically. “Relax, it's right here.” Damon tossed Stefan the ring and forced him against the siding of the house. “You should know better than to think you're stronger than me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people.” He muttered darkly. “I wouldn’t try it again.” A light flickered on above them, grabbing Damon’s attention. “I think we woke Zach up. Oops. Sorry, Zach.” He pushed Stefan one more time, then walked inside, evidently staying.

 

**-0-**

 

Bonnie and Caroline sat together at the Grill, sipping cups of coffee in an attempt to sober Caroline up. The party had ended after Vicki Donovan was discovered, and Caroline was still unbelievably wasted, making her unable to go home. “Are you sober yet?” Caroline groaned.

“No.”

“Keep drinking. I gotta get you home. I gotta get  _ me _ home.” Bonnie yawned, tiredness setting in.

“Why didn’t he go for  _ me _ ?” Bonnie looked up, confused. “You know, how come the guys that I never want want me>” Bonnie shook her head.

“I'm not touching that topic. You’re drunk.”

“No, I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing. And... Sam seems to always say the right thing. And Sam is new, and mysterious, just like Stefan. They’re perfect. She doesn’t even  _ try! _ And he just picks her.” Caroline looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Bonnie felt for her, she really did, but she didn’t know how to help. “I try so hard, and I'm never the one.” Bonnie held Caroline’s hand lightly, getting her attention.

“It's not a competition, Caroline. Samantha isn’t the enemy, she’s a nice girl.” Caroline sighed, nodding.

“I know. But it kinda is a competition.”

 

**-0-**

 

Sam had just walked out of her bathroom, having just taken off her makeup and slipped on her glasses when she heard a slight tap at her bedroom window. She walked to the window, peering outside. Below her, Stefan stood with a handful of pebbles. She smiled, waving. He motioned her down and she nodded, rushing down to the back door quietly. 

“I know it's late. But, uh…” He paused, blushing slightly. “I needed to know that you were okay.” Sam smiled, walking towards him.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Stefan nodded, turning. “Wait-” He stopped, confused. “When I was thirteen, I was in therapy. And my parents would ask me that when I left the office, if I was okay.” Stefan stepped forward, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together.

“What would you tell them?”

“That I'd be fine.” Stefan nodded.

“Did you ever mean it?” She shook her head.

“Not once.”

“Do you now?” She took a breath, unsure. A lot had happened in a very short time. She had questions, ones she knew couldn’t be answered. She looked up at Stefan, still awaiting an answer.

“Ask me tomorrow.” She glanced back at her home, warm and inviting. “It's warmer in the house. We can talk.” He smiled. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yes.” Sam smiled back at him and opened the door, opening her home and her heart to Stefan Salvatore. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! This is my first piece here on AO3, but it's actually a revised edition of something I posted on FanFiction. If you for whatever reason read it on there, it's going to be VERY different from that, so be ready. I'm excited to be back in the game. So yeah, leave a comment or kudos if you'd like. It's greatly appreciated.


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